Jul 1, 2015

Tips to Keep Your DLP or LCD Projector Lamp Shining Brightly

Today’s projectors are built to handle the demands of a busy
office, political campaign, or school classroom. But that doesn’t make them
invincible. The most vulnerable part of the whole apparatus, and usually the
first to go out, is the lamp. And, as anyone who’s ever owned a projector can
tell you, a replacement lamp is never cheap.

image:projectorscreen.com

Are there any specific measures you can take to extend the life of your projector’s lamp? Each brand will have its own tips and advice
included with its user’s guide. But there are some generic tips that can be
applied to just about any projection system that will help squeeze a few more
hours out of the life of that bulb.

Here are our suggestions, in no particular order:

1.
Test the lamp as soon as you get it. A new unit should be run for about 20
hours during the first couple of weeks. If your lamp is a lemon, it will
probably fail within that time. Most lamp warranties give you an average of 90
days to report any issues.

2.
Keep the vents and air filters clear. All projectors don’t have air filters.
If yours does, make sure you keep it clean. Clean the dust filter every three
to six months. Clogged vents or filters will cause overheating in the lamp and
total failure.

4.
Pick your locations wisely. Be mindful of the environment in which
you plan to operate your projector. Extreme humidity, temperature, and dust can
all shorten the life of your lamp.

5.
Let the lamp cool off before unplugging it. Most projectors
have fans that continue to run after the projector is shut off. These fans
ensure even cooling inside the projector to decrease the chance of lamp
failure. Don’t unplug the projector until the lamp is finished cooling.

6.
Don’t move the projector until it is cooled. A hot lamp is a
fragile lamp. Let the lamp cool completely before moving it. The filaments
inside the lamp are extremely sensitive and easily damaged.

7.
Keep the on/off cycles to a minimum. Every time you turn the projector on,
the sudden influx of power places stress on the lamp filaments. Don’t turn it
on and off multiple times in a day.

8.
Give it an hour after cooling before turning it on again. If
you use your projector for more than 3 hours, then shut it down, and wait at
least an hour before you turn it back on again. Turning it back on sooner will
send more voltage during the lamp heat-up cycle than the still warm lamp can
handle. This will cut a nice chunk of time off you lamp’s life.

9.
Wear gloves to handle the lamp. Oils and dirt deposits from hands and
fingers can cause “hot spots” on the lamp. These can cause temperature gradient
stresses that can lead to premature lamp failure.

10.
Cut to “low lamp” mode when possible. Use the “low lamp” or “economy power
mode” whenever you can.

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available in all types and formats, from pull-up screens to tripod screens,
ProjectorScreen.com is your one-stop shop for all the fixin’s for a great home
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